Frame stacking methods and spacers

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for increasing the volumetric efficiency with which automotive vehicle frames are stacked on a carrier such as a railroad flat car. Frames are alternately reversed end-for-end and/or laterally offset from one another and may be longitudinally angled and internested between adjacent stacks. Twin sheet molded HDPE spacers are used.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the transportation of automotive vehicleframes and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for loadingautomotive vehicle frames on a carrier such as the load bed of arailroad car in multiple vertical stacks so as to maximize the number offrames which can accommodated within a given volume of space on andabove the carrier surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is currently known to ship automotive vehicle frames from, forexample, a fabrication plant to an assembly plant by railroad flatcar.Typically, the frames are stacked vertically one atop the other usingunderlying pallets and spacers which are known in the art as “pin bars”and which comprise steel structures approximately 20 inches in heightwith a base plate and a top plate joined by welded steel struts. A longsteel pin projects upwardly through the top plate so that it can fitinto holes which are strategically located in the frame rails. After anumber of frames are stacked one on top of the other using pin bars infront and rear sets, the stacks are covered and strapped down. The stackmust be firmly and securely strapped because it is relatively unstableand cannot be permitted to shift laterally or longitudinally duringtransportation on the rail car. The loading of frames on rail ears inthis mariner is typically space-limited rather than weight-limited;i.e., volume limitations imposed on rail cars and flatbed trucks can beexceeded before the weight load limit is reached.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I have found that it is possible through strategic arrangements of thevehicle frames relative to one another, within the stacks and/or betweenadjacent stacks, to load more frames on a given bed while staying withina given space or volume limitation. Through the use of my invention andits various aspects as hereinafter described, it is possible tosubstantially reduce the cost of transporting vehicle frames by railand/or by truck.

As hereinafter described, the frames with which my invention has itsgreatest industrial value and utilization are frames of the typecomprising a pair of essentially parallel, spaced apart, frame railsjoined by one or more cross members and bearing various mountingappendages for the attachment of a vehicle body, as well as drive trainand suspension system components. The frames hereinafter described inthe utilitarian embodiments of my invention are three-dimensional in thesense that the frames have center spans which are lower than contiguousfront and rear spans. Moreover, most frames are non-symmetrical aboutone or both of longitudinal and lateral centerlines; e.g., the portionof a frame in front of the centerline is different in both length andelevation than the portion to the rear of the centerline. To put itanother way, the front and rear halves are not mirror images of oneanother.

In one form of my invention hereinafter described, the frames in a givenstack are alternatingly reversed end for end and typically laterallyoffset from one another in an alternatingly staggered relationship.Spacers accommodating this orientation are placed between frames in agiven stack. The spacers are preferably made of molded “twin sheet”plastic construction and nestingly receive the frame rails and, wherenecessary, the cross rods and various mounting appendages found on suchframes. Of course, materials other than plastic may be used. The dunnagespacers are generally configured to accommodate on lower surface partsat one end of each frame and on upper surface parts at the opposite endof each frame.

In another form hereinafter described, my invention involves placingstacks of frames on a load surface in longitudinally adjacentrelationship and intermeshing or overlapping one frame stack relative tothe longitudinally next adjacent frame stack. The frame stacks can be inalignment with or angled relative to the load surface longitudinal axis.Although this can be done otherwise, I prefer to achieve this usingdunnage elements or spacers which are of one type at one end of a frameand another type at the other end of a frame stack. The spacers whichare immediately adjacent one another at the most proximate point betweenlongitudinally adjacent stacks are configured not only to nestinglyreceive the vehicle frames therein but also to complementally interfitwith one another.

In all of the embodiments of my invention and in all of the spatialrelationships, the stacking is preferably done on a pallet, which allowsthe frame stacks to be easily moved onto and off of railroad cars usingfork lifts and cranes. Moreover, starter dunnage elements that can beone-sided can be used on the pallets for the first or lowermost frame inthe stack or, in the alternative, the starter dunnage elements can bemolded integrally with the pallets themselves.

Similarly, top or cover plates of molded plastic or other suitablematerials are placed over the stacks to receive straps that secure thestacks to the loading surface.

According to another aspect of my invention, I achieved a maximumvolumetric stacking or arranging of automotive vehicle frames in a givenvolume by creating a database from which two or more images of a givenframe can be generated and displayed in three-dimensions and manipulatedor rotated in space relative to one another. The method furthercomprises the step of presenting two or more of the frames for whichdata is provided in the database on a graphic computer screen andvariously reorienting the frames in space using the principles describedabove to determine the exact relationship between frames which willoptimize the number of frames which can be fit into a given area orvolume, with height being the principal factor. From this determination,one can then design dunnage elements or spacers to achieve thearrangement that is found to be optimum using graphic representations offrames.

In another aspect, my invention also comprises the dunnage elementsthemselves, which elements are preferably made of twin-sheet moldedplastic, and are configured to be somewhat wider than the distancebetween parallel rails of a given frame, and to have recesses on onesurface; e.g., the top surface, designed to receive one end of a framein nesting relationship therewith. For elements which nest betweenframes, recesses are also formed on the opposite, or bottom surface,designed to receive nestingly therein the other end of the frame whichunderlies each spacer. Typically two types of configurations of spacersare used between frames in a stock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of four frame stacks on a representativeportion of the load surface of a railroad car with spacer locationsshown in broken lines.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of one stack in the group ofstacks from FIG. 1 showing the location and top detail of one spacer aswell as the laterally offset and longitudinally reversed orientation oftwo frames in the stack.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an entire stack of frames with top and bottommembers added to complete a stack ready for banding.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective-view of the elements of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view the FIG. 2 spacer.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the FIG. 2 spacer.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the inventionshowing stacks of frames in angular relationship to the longitudinalaxis of the loading surface and longitudinally nested with spacers ofcomplemental configuration.

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of one of the spacers from FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of another spacer in the arrangement ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the spacer of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Looking to FIG. 1, there is shown in plan view a representative portionof a loading surface 10 of, for example, a railroad flat car. On theloading surface 10 are four stacks 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D of identicalautomotive vehicle frames 14 and 16, in this case steel frames for lighttrucks. The lowermost frame 14 in each stack is arranged north to northon the loading surface 10 while the next uppermost frame 16 is arrangednorth to south; longitudinally reversed with respect to the next lowerframe 14. All four stacks exhibit this alternatingly end-for-endreversal between vertically adjacent frames.

The lowermost frame 14 comprises substantially parallel but laterallyspaced apart frame rails 18 and 20 joined by cross-members 21, 22, 24and 26 whereas the uppermost frame 16 is made up of substantiallyparallel spaced apart frame rails 27 and 28 with cross-members 30, 32,34, 36 and 38. Each frame, irrespective of its position in the stack, isalso provided with suspension mounts 39 and body mounts 37, thearrangement shown here being typical of certain light truck frames inproduction in the United States at the time this application is beingfiled.

As shown in FIG. 3, while the terms “lowermost” and “uppermost” are usedin connection with describing what is shown in FIG. 1, there aretypically more than two frames in each stack, in the illustration ofFIG. 3, there are twelve frames with those frames numbered 14 and 16 torepresent longitudinally alternating or reversed orientation repeatingas one moves up the stack. All frames are three-dimensional in the sensethat when viewed from the side, the various longitudinal sectionsthereof are not monoplanar.

In accordance with the invention, molded plastic spacers 40 and 42 aredisposed between frames in the stack and are strategically designed andplaced as hereinafter described.

As also represented in FIG. 3, the individual frames 14 and 16 are notin and of themselves longitudinally symmetrical or mirror image about acenter plane; i.e., the rear of frame 14, shown to the right in FIG. 3,has a longer length and a lesser vertical displacement, relative to thecenter section 16C. Accordingly, the frame 14 does riot sit level on thebase pallet 44 but, rather, is tipped up at the left end as shown inFIG. 3. The next frame 16 up in the sequence is longitudinally reversedand, therefore, tipped up on the right side and the frames 14, 16continue to alternate in end-for-end reversed direction as one moves upthe stack. A top cover 46 is placed upon the uppermost frame 16T so thatthe entire stack 12A can be banded down to the load surface 10 of therailroad car in a conventional fashion (not shown in FIG. 3).

Looking now to FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6, the details of the spatialrelationship between the frames 14 and 16 and the spacer 40 will bedescribed. In general, the spacer 40 is preferably, but not necessarily,of twin sheet plastic construction. As used herein, the term “twinsheet” refers to a body of plastic, typically high-density polyethylene(HDPE), and is constructed by thermoforming two sheets of HDPE withelevation changes or contours which not only accommodate the frames 14and 16 at the spacer location but also allow the upper and lowerthermoformed sheets of the spacer 40 to meet and fuse around theperiphery thereof as well as at interior locations so as to provide asolid plastic route through which to transmit the loads created by thestacking of the frames 14 and 16 as shown.

Looking first at FIGS. 4 and 5, the spacer 40 is generally configuredsuch that the bottom surface shown in FIG. 5 conforms to the uppersurfaces of components at one end of frame 14 whereas the top contoursof the spacer 40 as shown in FIG. 6 correspond to the bottom contour ofthe opposite end of the next frame 16 in the stack. Specifically, thebottom surface of spacer 40 shown in FIG. 5 exhibits a deck elevation 46and depressed lower landing elevations or surfaces 50 and 52 to receivethe frame rails 18 and 20 of the lower frame 14. In addition, bosses 54,56 and 58 are formed in the spacer 40 to a depth which reaches and fusesto corresponding bosses 60, 62 and 64 in the deck surface 66 of theopposite side of the spacers shown in FIG. 6; i.e., the bottom of boss54 fuses or “knits” to the bottom of boss 60 and so on. The deck surfaceor top surface of the spacer 40 shown in FIG. 6 is also contoured withchannels 66 and 68 to receive the frame rails of the lower opposite endof the frame 16 which rests upon and nests into the spacer 40 as shownin FIG. 4. The landings 50 and 52 are joined by a cross landing surface70 to accommodate a cross bar of one frame whereas the landing surfaces66 and 68 of the top surface shown in FIG. 6 are joined by a crosslanding surface 72 to accommodate another cross member of the contactingframe.

Although not shown in detail, it will be understood that the contoursand construction of the spacer 42 are similar to the spacer 40 in thatit is also made of twin sheet, high density polyethylene constructionconformed to received the opposite contours of the upper and lowerframes which contact the spacer and to provide a load transmission paththrough solid plastic as described with reference to spacer 42. Spacers40 and 42 are typically different because of the lack of longitudinalsymmetry of the frames.

It will be noted in FIG. 2 that the frames 14 and 16 are not onlyreversed end for end but are also alternately laterally offset. On theother hand, the frames 14 and 16 as well as all additional frames in thestack are all oriented in the upright position; i.e., top up. Inaddition, it will be noted that, although the frames are longitudinallyreversed and laterally offset, the structural component of one framealways directly overlies a structural component of the next frame belowit and it is in this overlying area that it is preferable to bring themating top and bottom spacer sheets together to be fused into a solidmass for load transmission purposes. While in the case of FIG. 2 theoverlying structural frame members tend to be cross rails and siderails, the overlap can also occur between, for example, side rails, andbody mounts or side rails and suspension mounts or either of the twomounts and one or more cross rails.

To summarize, the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 is typicallyarrived at by creating a database from which a full graphicrepresentation of two of the frames can be generated and manipulatedrelative to one another in space on a computer screen. Two such framesare generated in three dimensions on a computer screen and manipulated;e.g., rotated end for end and reoriented relative to one anotherelectronically until the optimum nesting interrelationship is found,usually the stacked relationship of minimum height. In the case of theframes 14 and 16, this involves not only end for end reversal but alsolongitudinal and lateral offsetting as best illustrated in FIG. 3. Evensome tipping about a longitudinal axis of symmetry may be required.Spacer locations are then chosen and are designed to essentially fill upthe space between the frames while providing a load transmission paththrough knitted plastic as described above.

A base pallet 44 is designed in such a way as to represent only theupper halves of the two spacers since it receives only the bottomsurfaces of the two longitudinally spaced portions of the lowermostframe 14 where support is to be provided. The bottom pallet 44 is alsoprovided with forklift openings 80 and 82 so as to be easily moved aboutonto and off of the loading surface 10 by a forklift truck or otherappropriate mechanism. After the frames and spacers are stacked up tothe desired height as shown in FIG. 3, the top plate 46, made of plasticor metal or a combination of the two and also contoured to the oppositeupper surfaces of the top frame 16T is put in place. Steel bands arethen wrapped around the laterally adjacent stack to prevent them fromshifting, or “racking” during movement of the railroad car providing theloading surface 10. The banding of frame stacks is conventional and neednot be described here in detail apart from the fact that the upper plateor cover 46 is preferably contoured to match the opposite end contoursof the topmost frame 16T.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 through 10, another embodiment of the inventionis shown wherein frames 92A, 92B, 92C and 92D are stacked on the loadingsurface 90 of, for example, a railroad flat car or highway truck, as thecase may be. Again, all of the frames are alike and are made up oflaterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending frame rails joined bycross rails and equipped with suspension, engine and body mountappendages as shown. Only the lowermost tier or level of frames in eachof the frame stacks is shown in FIG. 7. All of these frames are orientedessentially north to north on the load surface 90; i.e., there is no endfor end reversal of any of the frames in the four representative stacksshown. Although they can be aligned with the longitudinal surfacecenterline, the stacks are here shown angled by approximately 10° fromthe longitudinal axis of the load surface 90; i.e., the axis which runsfrom left to right through the center of the load surface 90 as shown inFIG. 7. In addition, the frames are laterally staggered and overlappedto increase the density of each frame stack on the load surface 90 andeffectively shorten the longitudinal dimension of each frame stack so atleast two of the additional frame stacks can be added to each railroadcar or truck.

The frame stacks are provided with twin sheet molded plastic spacers 94and 96 which have complemental contours on the abutting surfaces so thatthey may be complementally interfit or nested with one another as shownin FIG. 7. The bottom surface of spacer 96 conforms to the top surfaceof the underlying frame in the stack 92A at what we will call the rearend of the frame whereas spacer 94 has a bottom surface which conformsto the upper surface of the opposite or front end of the frame 92A. Allof the spacers 94 are alike and all of the spacers 96 are alike. The topsurfaces of all of the spacers will reverse the order assuming theframes in the stack are laterally offset and longitudinally reversed aswas the case with respect to FIG. 1. In other words, the arrangement ofFIG. 7, when fully completed, is similar to that of FIG. 1 except thatthe frames are angled and internested longitudinally end for end and thespacers are moved out to the ends of the frame stacks. Theycomplementally interfit or nest with one another by virtue of thecontoured end surfaces 98 and 100. Again, the spacers are preferably oftwin sheet construction with elevation contours and bosses which meetand fuse at a center seam to form a unitary, load-bearing body.

By way of example, the spacer 94 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is providedwith depressed elevation landings 102 and 104 to accommodate frame railsand receptacles 106 and 108 to accommodate body or suspension mountappendages, whereas the surface 100 is recessed to interfitcomplementally with the surface 98 of the adjacent spacer 96. Spacer 96is provided with longitudinal parallel recesses 110 and 112 to receiveframe rails as well as depressions, 114, 116 and 118 to either receiveother frame components or to provide bosses or similar surfaces whichreach down to join and fuse with the corresponding depression materialof the other sheet in the twin sheet plastic construction. Again theresult is a unitary body having a bottom surface contour whichcorresponds to one end of a frame and a top surface contour thatcorresponds to the opposite end of the identical frame, as well as atwin sheet structure which provides solid plastic for strength in theload-bearing path. Of course, these details are provided by way ofillustration and may not be necessary in the event the designer chooses,for example, to reinforce the plastic spacers with steel bars or toplace fewer frames in a stack according to the individual needs of thetransportation issue requiring a solution.

In summary, the invention provides a number of alternative and/orcooperative techniques for maximizing the number of frames which can beplaced in a given volume and particularly maximizing the number offrames which can be stacked to a given height.

1. A method of shipping bare automotive vehicle frames on a transportvehicle such as a railroad car having a loading surface wherein theframes are of the type comprising spaced apart, substantially parallelframe rails joined by cross members wherein said frames havenon-coplanar longitudinally-spaced span portions and are longitudinallyasymmetrical, said method comprising the step of: stacking said framesin uninverted but alternatingly longitudinally reversed relationshipwith one another and with attached spacers nestingly placed between saidframes wherein said spacers are of a width which extends laterallyacross an entire frame and/or arranged in sets wherein each setcomprises the first spacer between one end of adjacent frames in thestack and a second spacer between the opposite ends of the adjacentspacers in the stack.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the spacers eachhave two working surfaces and are configured to nestingly andnonlockingly receive adjacent frames in a stack on opposite surfacesthereof such that one working surface is configured to receive thebottom of one frame and the other working surface is configured toreceive the top of the adjacent, longitudinally reversed frame.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein alternate frames are laterally alternatinglyoffset from one another.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the spacersare molded plastic.
 5. A method of arranging automotive vehicle framesfor shipment on a transport vehicle having a loading surface wherein theframes are of the type comprising spaced parallel, three-dimensionalframe rails joined by cross members comprising the steps of: arranging afirst stack of frames on the surface as defined in claim 1; andarranging a second stack of frames on the surface wherein the frames inthe second stack are in laterally offset, longitudinally overlappingrelationship with the frames in the first stack.
 6. The method of claim5 wherein the frames are angled relative to the longitudinal axis of theload surface.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein the method furthercomprises the step of placing dunnage elements under the lowermostframes in the stack.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the dunnageelements are complementally shaped to interfit with one another in thelaterally offset longitudinally overlapping relationship.
 9. A method ofarranging elongated essentially bare motor vehicle frames on a railwayflat car for shipment wherein the frames have a front end and a rear endand are noninvertingly positioned on the railway flatcar with theirlongitudinal dimensions extending substantially lengthwise of therailway flatcar and the frames positioned in the plurality of stacksspaced generally longitudinally along the railway flat car,characterized in that the number of frames that can be carried in thethree dimensional space overlying the railway flat car is maximized byselectively varying one or more of: the angle of the frames relative tothe side edges of the railway flatcar; the lateral position of one framein a stack relative to an immediately adjacent frame in that stack; thelongitudinal orientation of one frame in a stack relative to theimmediately adjacent frames in that stack without inverting any of theframes relative to one another; and the extent, if any, of overlappingof the ends of the frames in one stack relative to the confronting endsof the frames in an immediately adjacent stack.
 10. A method accordingto claim 9 wherein: the frames are angled relative to the side edges ofthe railway flatcar; and the ends of the frames in one stack overlap theends of the frames in an immediately adjacent stack.
 11. A methodaccording to claim 9 wherein: one frame in a stack is moved laterallyrelative to an immediately adjacent frame in that stack; and the frontto rear direction of the one frame is reversed relative to theimmediately adjacent frame.
 12. A method according to claim 9 wherein:one frame in a stack is longitudinally offset relative to an immediatelyadjacent frame in that stack; and the front to rear direction of the oneframe is reversed relative to the immediately adjacent frame in thatstack.
 13. A method of determining how to stack bare vehicle frames ofthe type comprising nonplanar longitudinal rails joined by cross membersand having different physical configurations at the opposite endsthereof so as to achieve a maximum number of frames in a given verticaldimension comprising the steps of: creating an electronic database fromwhich three-dimensional, graphic images of a frame can be generated andreoriented in space; and longitudinally and/or laterally reorienting atleast two images of the frame relative to and proximate one anotheruntil a stacked condition of minimum vertical dimension is found. 14.The method of claim 13 further including the step of determining thesize and shape of at least one spacer which will fit between the twoframes while substantially preserving the minimum vertical dimensionorientation of the two frames.